Blogwatch - July 2011

Apologies for the brief hiatus, it's that time of the year where holidays get in the way of blogging :)  Still, it's better get something late than not at all, so here goes.

July was yet another month of blogging goodness, with lots of rare rap vitamins and golden era minerals for your consumption.  As usual, I've scoured the blogging fields to find the best organic produce and then I freshly picked it for that perfect flavour.  Enjoy!

Rare Mixtapes
DJ Manifest has recently started a blog to share his vast collection of mixtapes.  There's some pretty rare, and old, stuff on there (Kid Capri, Ron G, Lord Finesse etc) and a promise of plenty more to come, so instead of me listing it here, why not go and check him out for yourself. 
http://onestopmusicplace.blogspot.com/

From Mambo to Hip Hop
My man Battlechasers has found a copy of the film "From Mambo to Hip Hop" which in his own words is a "Documentary on the creative adoption of Cuban rhythms to create the New York salsa sound, which laid the foundations for Funk and Hip-Hop."  Its directed by Henry Chalfont (Style Wars & Spray Can Art).
http://pieandears.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-mambo-to-hip-hop-documentary-film.html

Pacewon & Mr Green
It's always nice to discover new releases that are worth sharing with others, and this new video from Pacewon is no exception.  Props again to Battlechasers for digging this one up.
http://pieandears.blogspot.com/2011/07/pacewon-and-mr-green-ever-since-2011.html
Also, if you didn't catch Pacewon's last single Can you hear me (A tribute to the people of Tunisia) then you need to catch that too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYGfxOP9dQs

Non Phixion Promo Tape
Philaflava over at T.R.O.Y Blog has shared this Non Phixion sampler tape.  It is essentially their debut album that they produced for Geffen but was never released.  The track listing is kind of strange as it contains old tracks like legacy (their debut 12", see my earlier post) and then Black Helicopters which didn't come out until their 2nd LP.  It's also got gems like 14 Years of Rap feat. The Arsonists and They Got which weren't on either of the albums.
http://www.thetroyblog.com/2011/07/06/non-phixion-the-past-the-present-and-the-future-is-now/

Fat Boys Documentary
This is a great watch for any old skool fan.  A 40 minute documentary on the Fat Boys that charts their beginnings, their rise and ultimately their
Commentary comes from many legends including their producer Kurtis Blow and band members Prince Markie D and (a very slim!) Kool Rock Ski.
http://pieandears.blogspot.com/2011/07/fat-boysthe-true-story-great-watch.html

The Conspiracy is back!
If you weren't a listener previously, then I strongly recommend you check out Mr Montana's show on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio.  The latest episode has interviews with: DJ premier talking about the early Gang Starr days, Canibus talking about his new album Lyrical Law, MOP, and much more. 
Conspiracy Worldwide Radio is dedicated to conscious underground artists with a so you won't find any of that mainstream bullshit we all run a mile from!  And the best bit.... if you can't check the show when it's live, the podcasts can be downloaded from the site or via iTunes.  So, what's your excuse for not checking them out?
www.conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com

MC Serch Interview

In my previous post I looked back at Non Phixion's Legacy 12" and I referenced an interview that the P Brothers did with MC Serch back in 2003 and I promised to share it with you. 

Now this interview is a real banger, it's like no other interview that you've read before.  Normally an interview is conducted for a specific purpose, usually to promote an artists new album, to clear up some pointless beef, or to drum up interest in their new protege blah, blah, blah.  There is almost always a motive for the artist to do the interview.
What makes this different, is that Serch pretty much did the interview to satisfy the persistant requests of the P Brothers, who are hip hop purists and whose only interest is to better understand Serch, some of his history and to get to the truth behind all of the gossip and rumours.

Serch said it himself, that this would be the last interview he does of this kind, and I can see why.  He bares his soul here and openly and honestly answers all of the questions put to him.  You really get the feeling as you read through it that he's laying some demons to rest.  He talks in detail about the formation of 3rd Bass, their success and their later demise, and what the real issues were.  He explains the trip to LA where he and Pete were nearly killed by gang members over the MC Hammer diss, and then his behind the scenes work executive producing Nas' first two albums and O.C.s classic, Word, Life.  Oh, and he clears up some of the Non Phixion story too!

It's a two part interview, and it's quite long, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  The depth and scope of this interview is what makes it so brilliant.  I hope you appreciate this as much as I did.

Shout out to the P Brothers too, I love you guys.

PART 1 - http://pressrewind.wordpress.com/2007/06/01/def-jam-3rd-bass-hammers-gas-face-mc-serch-in-grandslam-part-1-2003/
PART 2 - http://pressrewind.wordpress.com/2007/06/05/3rd-bass-split-nas-oc-non-phixion-mc-serch-interview-part-2-in-grandslam-2003/

Non Phixion - Legacy 12" (1996)

It still amazes me to this day that Non Phixion ever managed to get their material published.  They had significant interest being shown from several major labels, were then signed to Geffen, then signed to Matador, Matador then committed to producing an album and yet 5 years later they had virtually nothing to show for it! 

To the groups members, it must have seemed like the whole industry was against them.  Despite them having the backing of some industry heavyweights like MC Serch and Rick Rubin along with proven sales from their early single releases, it just didn't seem like it was ever going to happen for them.
Still, perseverance pays off, and so does setting up your own label (Uncle Howie Records) as this was the eventual remedy to the Non Phixion headache.

Going back to 1996 before most of their troubles started, when MC Serch was helping to get Non Phixion a major signing.  Their debut 12" entitled Legacy was released independently on the Fat Beats label and sold around 20,000 copies. 

It's an interesting release, because as it was 6 years before their debut  LP was released, it understandably has a completely different sound.  It was produced by Serch under his Serchlite Music company, whereas their later productions would come from either Necro or Non Phixion themselves.  However, it still maintains that trademark Non Phixion style.
MC Serch makes an unexpected appearance too, and somehow manages to sound a bit different without completely flipping his style, but it works quite well.

The B side is a different matter though.  The track is called No Tomorrow and is produced by Necro.  It's not the usual Necro style that we've become familiar with, instead this sounds much like most of the mainstream NY productions of that time.  The style of the chorus is also very typical of that era and overall the track reminds me of numerous east coast melodies from the mid 90's. 

It's definitely worth checking this out  If nothing else, it's good to feel some more of that mid 90's east coast flavour.

For those historians out there who like to know all the minuscule details of an artist or their history etc, you'll be pleased to know that the P Brothers conducted an explicit, honest and unique interview with MC Serch back in 2003 which he claimed would be his last interview of that kind.  He really went to town on setting the record straight. 
During the 2nd part of the interview, Serch explains much of the background to setting up Non Phixion and openly discusses the later fallout between him and Ill Bill.  It's a riveting read as it also uncovers lots of great history that hasn't previously been told about 3rd Bass, Nas, OC, Wild Pitch records etc.  But it's too much to cover here, so I'll get it uploaded in the next week or two!

Download The Full 12" (Hotfile 32mb)
http://hotfile.com/dl/120619834/015aabb/Non_Phixion_-_Legacy.rar.html

Sabac - The Ritual DVD

Sabac Red (as he was formerly known in Non Phixion alongside DJ Eclipse, Ill Bill & Goretex) is an underrated political and conscious MC with a lot to say that will provoke the mind. He has released two solo projects since Non Phixion disbanded in 2006, both released on Necro's Psycho+Logical-Records, but each remain slept on by the masses (which is no bad thing).  His 2nd offering The Ritual came in two formats, one of which was accompanied by a DVD.

Although this DVD isn't a highly polished, big budget effort, it's certainly not one of those lame efforts which are just a collection of random clips.  You know the ones, where they use mobile phone footage of live concerts and call it 'exclusive content'. 
Sabac has really made an effort to engage with the viewer by giving them an insight into the work that he does behind the scenes to improve his community and educate the kids.  He commentates on his work and his feelings and this informal narration cuts in and out throughout the DVD and successfully pulls together the various other footage that we're presented with. 
 
The DVD is a full length film featuring videos, interviews, live European tour footage with Ill Bill & DJ Eclipse, freestyles, behind the scenes making of 'The Collabo Collection Vol. 2 Mixtape' and more.
 
Download Link (Hotfile - 690mb)
http://hotfile.com/dl/83638488/88aca73/Sabac.The.Ritual.Bonus.DVD.2008.DVDRip.rar.html